


Polaroid

by ssorrells



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied Poe Dameron/Finn, Marriage Proposal, Soft Ben Solo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24254689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssorrells/pseuds/ssorrells
Summary: Snippets of Rey and Ben's relationship, told through pictures. Just a little ModernAU fluff - because we can all use more of that, right?!
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 9
Kudos: 73





	Polaroid

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've posted anything, and I haven't even written anything in FOREVER, but I was really happy with how this turned out. 
> 
> Thank you to Meghan for encouraging me to post (and for reading this over!) Very briefly beta-ed, so apologies for any grammar/spelling mistakes.
> 
> Inspire by "Polaroid" by Keith Urban

“Smile!” The loud shout causes Ben to jump and whip his head around toward the source of the noise.

“Jesus, Poe! What are you doing?” he says, a bit more snappishly than he intended.

“Oh, lighten up, _Benjamin_! Finn wants pictures of everyone at the party.”. Poe raises the Polaroid camera again. Ben frantically looks for an escape route.

“No. Come on, Poe, you know I don’t…”

A small hand grabs his and tugs him back as he starts to turn away. “Oh, what’s the harm in just one?” He looks down at the source of the plea. _Rey_. Hazel eyes meet his, twinkling with something mischievous, as if daring him to try to run away. He’s only met her an hour and already he feels like he can’t deny her anything. 

She must see the moment he gives in, because suddenly, surprisingly strong arms are wrapped around his waist and she presses herself against his chest. His own arms come around her shoulders, squeezing back just as tightly. The scent of vanilla and honey fills his senses. Rey is still smiling up at him, but her eyes have softened, no longer teasing, something deeper taking form. Ben knows that the same expression of wonder must be on his face too, as she gives him a soft smile, dimples just starting to form on her cheeks.

A _click_ and a bright flash startle them, causing Rey to let him go. He only has a second to mourn the loss of her warmth before the full implication of what has just happened sinks in. He turns towards Poe, who’s already backing away toward the basement stairs with a knowing smirk on his face, shaking the developing picture. 

“I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone” he says with a wink, before turning and running the rest of the way up the stairs.

Ben takes two steps towards the stairs himself, knowing that he’s much faster than Poe, and has the benefit of being sober. He won’t get far…Another tug on his hand makes him stop.

“Hey, Ben?” Rey says softly. “Do you want to take a walk?”

She gives him a small, nervous smile, blush forming on her cheeks again, causing her freckles to stand out even more. He gives her a shaky smile in return and squeezes her hand.

“Yeah, he whispers, clears his throat. Stronger now. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

She pulls him towards the door, weaving through the other guests, mercifully oblivious to entire scene, and towards the door that leads out to the backyard. The door shuts behind them, blocking out the voice and music, leaving just the two of the them and the night.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The next morning, Ben wakes up to a stiff neck, a blanket that is falling haphazardly to the ground, and an arm that has definitely gone numb. He looks around, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings until he realizes that he’s in Finn and Poe’s basement. He must have fallen asleep on the couch. 

As his brain slowly starts to come back online, it registers a warm weight curled against his side. Memories from the night before come flooding back. The picture. Rey taking his hand and asking him to go for a walk. Talking for hours. About themselves. Their pasts. Their hopes for the future. Everything. Ben hasn’t been so open with anyone in his entire life. He feels like he’s known her forever. 

He looks down to see Rey’s head pillowed on his arm, face turned towards his chest and body snuggled as close to him as she can get. He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. 

Her eyes start to blink as she slowly wakes up. He sees the same confusion play across her face that he experienced a moment before, as she too realizes where she is.

“Good Morning” she says quietly.

“Morning” he smiles back. “How did you sleep?”

“Really well, actually” she replies. It finally seems to sink in that she’s still practically on top of him. She sits up, finally freeing his arm, and while he’s grateful to have full range of movement again, he finds himself thinking that he’d have sat there for hours if it meant getting to hold her again.

They both stand and stretch, getting blood flowing back into limbs that have been stuck in one position for far too long. Out of the corner of his eye, Ben notices something on the arm of the couch. It’s an envelope addressed to _The Lovebirds_. 

Ben opens it with a shaking hand, unsure of what he’ll find inside. There’s the photo Poe took the night before. Ben and Rey with their arms around each other, eyes locked, as if there was no one else in the room with them. Ben can’t stop staring. Something about it just feels so…right. He’s so entranced by the first photo that it takes him a minute to realize that there’s another one.

It’s Ben and Rey again, this time asleep on the couch. Poe or Finn must have snuck down here early in the morning and taken this. Both of them have their faces turned towards the other, small smiles even in sleep. Ben has an arm curled protectively around Rey’s shoulders, and her fist is tangled tightly in his shirt.

A pair of arms creeps around his waist and a chin comes to rest on his shoulder. Rey is standing on the couch behind him, trying to get a peek at what’s been distracting him. He shows her the photos and feels her bury her face in his neck.

“Our friends are too much” she chuckles, and he realizes there are captions at the bottom. _Love at First Sight_ on the first one, _The Happy Couple_ on the one of them asleep on the couch.

He groans and runs a hand over his face, once again plotting ways to get back at Poe for embarrassing him in front of the first girl he’s liked in _years_. She pulls his hand away from his face and squeezes. 

“Don’t. It’s sweet. You look…happy”. He squeezes her hand in return and says “So do you”.

She holds onto his hand and uses it to help balance herself as she walks along the couch to stand in front of him. 

“I am” she smiles, then leans in to press a quick kiss to his lips. He pulls her close, deepening the kiss as his arms wrap around her waist and hers find their way around his neck. A grumbling noise breaks them apart and he laughs.

“Sounds like we need to get some food in you” he says, reaching out a hand to help her off the couch. He maintains his grip and leads her towards the stairs. She interlaces her fingers with his as they being to climb.

“I’m really glad you come to the party, Ben”. He pauses, looks back at her over his shoulder and says “Me, too.”

~ ~ ~ ~ Two Years Later ~ ~ ~ ~

Ben pulls the photo album out of his desk drawer, carrying it to the dining room table and opening it up. The photos from that first night stare back him. Yellowing a bit at the edges and the Sharpie fading, but still capturing the moment when Ben knew his life had changed forever. He probably still owed Poe for that one.

More pictures take up the pages.

_The Fourth of July party 3 months after that first night, when he told Rey that he loved her for the first time, and she had said it back. They had gone to watch the fireworks with their friends, in clearing at the top of a hill overlooking the whole city. He’s not sure who took the photo, but whoever did captured the exact moment he’d poured his heart out. Rey had thrown herself into his arms, legs wrapped around his waist as she’d covered his face with kisses. When he finally caught her lips with his, the show started. But it was nothing compared to the fireworks going off in his soul._

__

_The day they moved in together. Ben had searched for months to find the perfect place for the two of them to begin their lives as “them”. When Ben pulled up to the cottage, Rey had flown out of the car like a shot, waiting impatiently on the front steps for him to open the front door. When he had finally caught up to her, she had grabbed him into a tight hug and whispered “Thank you” in his ear. He had smiled back at her as he heard the familiar “click” from Poe’s camera. He had thrown a wink at Ben as he said “Are you going to let us in or what?”_

__

Each turn of the page brought back more memories. He’d been planning this surprise for Rey for months, breaking his own rule about photos to get as many as he could. There were some that they had taken of each other, finally breaking down and buying their own Polaroid camera. Those were some of Ben’s favorites. The two of them dancing at Finn and Poe’s wedding. Vacations. More parties. Visiting his parents. Little moments gathered up and saved to be given to the one who held his heart.

__

He finally reaches the last page, which is still blank, but not for long. He has one more photo to add to this album. He presses the photo down, adds the caption, closes the book and moves it to sit at Rey’s place at the table. 

__

Right on time, he hears her keys in the front door. The _clink_ as she drops them in the dish in the hallway. The _thud_ as she kicks off her shoes and hangs up her coat before making her way further into the house. 

__

“Something smells wonderful, darling!” she exclaims as she finally enters the room. She pauses as she catches sight of Ben standing nervously at the dining rooms table. Her eyes take in the place settings, fresh flowers in a vase at the center, and the candles he’d found buried at the back of a kitchen cabinet. 

__

He smiles shyly at her. “It’s your favorite. It should be done soon.”

__

She crosses the room towards him, falling into his open arms. “What’s the occasion?” 

__

“it’s the anniversary of the day we first met.” 

__

She pulls back at that, looking at him in shock briefly before beaming at him and pulling him down into a lingering kiss. “You’re such a romantic, Ben Solo” she teases as she pulls away, leaving him breathless. Her eyes finally fall on the photo album and she steps away from him to take a closer look.

__

Ben’s heart begins pounding in his chest and his palms begin to sweat. _What if she doesn’t like it? Is it too soon? It’s been two years. Is this too corny?_ A thousand thoughts chase themselves around his mind as he watches her open the book.

__

She lets out a gasp and her hand flies to her mouth as she stares at those fateful photos, taken two years ago that day. She begins to turn the pages, taking in each photo before moving on to the next. She stops before turning to the last page and looks up at him.

__

“Ben,” she whispers. “This is…I don’t know what to say. No one has ever done anything like this for me before. Thank you.”

__

Sure that his blush has extended all the way to the tips of his ears and that she can hear his heart racing from five feet away, he smiles back. “Happy Anniversary, sweetheart”.

__

She turns back to the book, hand coming up to turn the last page. _This is it_ , Ben thinks. His hand slips into his pocket, tightening around the ring box he’s been holding onto since a week after their first meeting. 

__

Rey finally turns to the last page and freezes. She stares at it longer than any of the other pages. Her hand slowly comes up to her mouth again, tears welling up in her eyes. Ben knows what she’s looking at. It’s a Polaroid of the ring now in his hand, with the caption _Will You Marry Me?_ written in his best calligraphy.

__

He pulls the ring from his pocket, gets down on knee, and reaches out, feeling his own hand shaking as he does. At the touch of his hand, she finally looks away from the photo. Their eyes meet and he can see the love radiating in hers, and hopes that she can see the same. He laces their fingers together and squeezes her hand.

__

“Rey, from the moment I met you, I knew you were the one for me. That night was the first night of the rest of my life. I felt like we had known each other our whole lives, two halves of a soul that had just been waiting to find each other. When I saw those photos, I knew that I wanted to fall asleep next to you every night and wake up with you every morning. Most people are never lucky enough to capture the moment they meet their soulmate, but we were, and I can never thank our friends enough for that. And I want to capture a thousand more memories of our lives together. Will you marry me?”

__

As Ben was speaking, tears had been falling steadily down both of their faces. 

__

“Yes,” she breathes, nodding furiously before practically knocking him over as she wraps herself around him. “I love you, Ben Solo” she murmurs in his ear. burying her face in his neck as she tries to get her tears under control.

__

He clutches her tight to him, taking deep, shuddering breaths as the nerves wash away and the euphoria sets in. _She had said yes._

__

After what feels like hours of them holding each other, she finally pulls away, looks deep into his eyes and says “So, do I get a ring out of this, or what?”

__

Ben laughs, grabbing her left and sliding the ring onto her finger. “I love you, Rey Johnson”

__

“I love you, too”

__


End file.
